Unlock Productivity With Commitment Devices! Pairing Disliked Tasks With Enjoyable Ones Can Boost Motivation and Help You Achieve Your Goals. Learn How to Leverage This Strategy, From Bundling Cold Calls With Evening Bourbon to Pairing Workouts With Favorite TV Shows.
We all have those tasks we dread—filing taxes, making cold calls, cleaning up files, or following up with a difficult client. It’s human nature to avoid unpleasant activities, even when we know they’re necessary for our success. As entrepreneurs, avoiding these tasks can lead to missed opportunities, stagnant growth, or even business failure. That’s where commitment devices come in.
A commitment device is a self-imposed rule or incentive designed to help you follow through on actions you might otherwise avoid. These devices leverage your own psychology to improve behavior and productivity. It’s not about willpower—it’s about designing systems that help you win.
Personally, I’ve had to get creative with commitment devices. One of the tasks I find particularly unpleasant is making cold calls. I know they’re critical for generating leads and driving sales, but I’d rather be doing just about anything else. So I struck a deal with myself: I only get to enjoy my favorite post-work ritual—a glass of Evan Williams bourbon on the rocks—if I hit my cold-call quota for the day. No calls, no bourbon. It’s surprisingly effective.
Another example from my life involves exercise. I find the elliptical machine or treadmill mind-numbingly boring. But I also love watching a particular news show. The solution? I only allow myself to watch the show if I’m on the elliptical or treadmill. This way, I pair something I enjoy with something I would otherwise avoid. The commitment device transforms a dreaded chore into a tolerable (even enjoyable) habit.
More Ways Businesses Can Use Commitment Devices
Commitment devices aren’t just for personal productivity. Businesses can use them in all sorts of creative ways to foster discipline, meet goals, and boost performance. Here are a few ideas:
Sales Teams: Tie personal or team rewards (like leaving early on Friday or a lunch out) to hitting KPIs such as call volume or closed deals. No quota, no perks.
Marketing Consistency: Struggle with keeping up your content calendar? Make posting that blog or video a prerequisite to checking social media or enjoying coffee from your favorite coffee shop.
Cash Flow Discipline: Want to build a reserve fund? Set up automatic transfers that only occur when revenue goals are met, or tie personal rewards (like ordering lunch out) to keeping expenses under budget.
Time Management: If a team member struggles with time tracking or logging hours, tie it to something they enjoy—perhaps a drawing for a small prize at the end of the week if their reports are on time.
Training Completion: Need your staff to complete mandatory training or certifications? Set up gamified systems where access to certain perks (like flexible scheduling or office snacks) requires timely completion.
Client Follow-Ups: If follow-up emails or post-project reviews tend to fall through the cracks, tie their completion to something habitual, like your morning coffee. No follow-ups, no caffeine.
Other Fun Examples from Real Life
Over the years, I’ve heard some clever uses of commitment devices:
A friend only allows himself to drink beer on the weekends if the laundry is folded and put away.
Another acquaintance uses pizza night as a reward—but only if they agree to 20 extra minutes of exercise or turn off the TV afterward.
One entrepreneur told me he schedules client calls for first thing in the morning so he can’t hit snooze or start his day slowly.
These small psychological nudges make a big difference. The trick is to set the rules clearly and follow them consistently. If the reward is meaningful to you and the action you’re avoiding is well-defined, commitment devices can be a powerful behavioral hack.
Why Commitment Devices Work
Commitment devices work because they align with our behavioral tendencies. Most people are more motivated by immediate consequences than distant outcomes. While we might intellectually understand the long-term benefits of making cold calls or exercising, those rewards often feel too far off. A commitment device brings the reward (or penalty) closer in time, making the decision more salient.
Behavioral economist Dan Ariely, in his book Predictably Irrational, points out that people frequently make plans with good intentions, but often struggle to follow through when faced with temptation. Commitment devices provide us with a better chance to honor the promises we make to our future selves.ake to our future selves.
Turning Intentions Into Outcomes
At their core, commitment devices are a way to convert good intentions into meaningful outcomes. They can turn procrastinators into producers and help high-performing entrepreneurs stay disciplined without burning out.
The best commitment device is one that’s personally meaningful. It could be as simple as your favorite drink, an episode of a guilty pleasure show, or a small financial treat. Whatever it is, if it motivates you to take action, it’s doing its job.
Do you use commitment devices to stay on track or hold yourself accountable for necessary, but less-than-pleasant tasks? What’s worked best for you?
